1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a securing structure of vehicle auxiliary equipment used for mounting auxiliary equipment such as a sun visor, a room lamp or the like in a passenger room.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a sun visor is mounted to a ceiling of an automobile at position corresponding to a driver""s seat or a passenger""s seat. Some sun visors include vanity mirrors, and some sun visors further include lamps so that the vanity mirrors can also be used at night.
As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, in the case of such a sun visor 1 is provided with a lamp, a bracket 2 for securing the sun visor 1 to a vehicle body 100 is mounted to a tip end of a securing shaft 3, and the sun visor 1 is mounted to the vehicle body 100 by securing the bracket 2 to the vehicle body 100 (not prior art). At that time, an electric wire 4 is led out from a shaft tip end 3a through the securing shaft 3, and a connector 7 for connecting to a mating connector 6 of a wire harness 5 which is arranged in the vehicle body 100 is mounted to a tip end of the electric wire 4.
The vehicle body 100 comprises a body 101 and a panel 102 provided inside of the body 101. The wire harness 5 is arranged between the body 101 and the panel 102, and the connector 6 connected to the tip end of the wire harness 5 is led into the passenger room through a bracket mounting hole 102a formed in the panel 102, thereby setting the wire harness 5. The panel 102 comprises a metal plate 103 and a trim 104 laminated on the metal plate 103 on the side of the passenger room (see FIG. 1A).
The bracket 2 is integrally formed with a grommet screw 8 and an engaging piece 9. After the connectors 6 and 7 are connected, the engaging piece 9 is engaged with an edge of the bracket mounting hole 102a. The grommet screw 8 is then pushed into the bracket mounting hole 102a using this engaged portion as a fulcrum (see FIG. 1B). With this operation, the grommet screw 8 can be engaged with the edge of the bracket mounting hole 102a, and the bracket 2 can be secured to the panel 102. By this securing operation of the bracket 2, the sun visor 1 can be mounted to the vehicle body 100 (see FIG. 1C).
In such a conventional securing structure of vehicle auxiliary equipment, however, when the sun visor 1 is mounted to the vehicle body 100, the operator must mount the sun visor 1 with his or her one hand while pushing the connected connectors 6 and 7 into the bracket mounting hole 102a with the other hand. Therefore, the operability is inferior, the productivity is lowered, and the cost is increased. Further, since the connected portion of the connectors 6 and 7 is pushed into the bracket mounting hole 102a without being supported, a noise is generated by this operation.
Further, in order to mount the sun visor 1, it is necessary to push the grommet screw 8 into the bracket mounting hole 102a, but a great pushing force is required and the securing operation is difficult. Also, during the pushing operation, the grommet screw 8 is shaved by the edge of the metal plate 103 constituting the bracket mounting hole 102a and, therefore, the grommet screw 8 may be damaged or deformed, and a holding force of the sun visor 1 is decreased.
Further, since the bracket 2 is provided with the engaging piece 9, the structure is complicated and costs more for a mold, and the productivity is lowered, thereby increasing the costs.
Thereupon, it is an object of the present invention to provide a securing structure of vehicle auxiliary equipment in which the productivity can be enhanced by excellent operability, the costs can be reduced, and the reliable holding force of the auxiliary equipment can be obtained.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a securing structure of vehicle auxiliary equipment in which the vehicle auxiliary equipment is electrically connected to wire harnesses arranged between a body and a panel provided on an inner side of the body, and the vehicle auxiliary equipment is secured to the panel through the bracket, wherein the securing structure comprises cylindrical harness-side connection ends formed of insulating resin and whose diameters are capable of being widened, the harness-side connection ends having peripheral walls in which wire harness-terminals are embedded, portions of the wire harness-terminals being exposed to inner peripheral surfaces of the peripheral walls; securing holes formed in the panel and through which the harness-side connection ends are temporarily secured; grommet screws integrally formed together with the bracket and inserted into the temporarily secured harness-side connection ends; auxiliary equipment-side terminals connected to electric wires which are led out from the vehicle auxiliary equipment, the equipment-side terminals exposed to outer surfaces of the grommet screws and abutting against the exposed portions of the wire harness-terminals when the grommet screws are inserted into the harness-side connection ends; and securing means which are inserted into the grommet screws in a state in which the grommet screws are inserted into the temporarily secured harness-side connection ends, thereby widening diameters of the harness-side connection ends and the grommet screws to finally securing the bracket and the harness-side connection ends to the securing holes.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the harness-side connection ends is temporarily secured to the securing holes of the panel, the grommet screws are inserted into the harness-side connection ends to temporarily secured the bracket and then, the bolt members are screwed into the grommet screws, thereby finally secured the bracket and the harness-side connection ends to the panel. With this final securing operation, the sun auxiliary equipment can be mounted to the vehicle body while electrically connecting the auxiliary equipment-side connection terminals and the wire harness-terminals with each other.
At that time, the wire harness terminals are embedded in insulating resins and insulated against the panel. Since the harness-side connection ends are attached to the securing holes of the panel only temporarily, the harness-side connection ends are not pushed into the securing holes forcibly, and are not damaged nor deformed when it is temporarily attached.
Further, the grommet screws of the bracket are not directly inserted into the securing holes of the panel, but inserted into the harness-side connection ends which are temporarily secured to the securing holes, the bracket is not damaged nor deformed by the edges of the securing holes, and the inserting forces of the grommet screws can be reduced by the auxiliary equipment-side connection terminals provided such that they are exposed to the outer surfaces of the grommet screws and by the wire harness-terminals provided such that they are exposed to the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral walls of the harness-side connection ends. When the grommet screws are inserted into the harness-side connection ends, since surfaces of the wire harness-terminals and the auxiliary equipment-side connection terminals slide on each other, oxide films formed on the surfaces can be removed. Therefore, excellent electrical connection state formed thereafter can be ensured.
The diameters of the harness-side connection ends and the grommet screws are widened by inserting the securing means, thereby bringing the auxiliary equipment-side connection terminals and the wire harness-terminals into contact with each other under pressure, the oxide films can be removed, and more excellent electrical connection state can be ensured.
After the bracket is finally secured to the panel, the bracket is protected by the auxiliary equipment-side connection terminals and rigidity of the bracket is enhanced. Therefore, the holding force of the sun auxiliary equipment is enhanced.
According to a second aspect of the invention, in the securing structure of vehicle auxiliary equipment of the first aspect, the securing means are bolt members screwed into the grommet screws.
With their second aspect, the diameters of the grommet screws can be widened by screwing the bolt members, and the widened diameters can be maintained.
According to a third aspect of the invention, in the securing structure of vehicle auxiliary equipment of the first aspect, the securing means are rod-like projections which are integrally formed together with a cover covering the bracket, and which are inserted into the grommet screws when the cover covers the bracket.
With the third aspect, the securing means and the cover which were constituted by two members in the first embodiment can be constituted by one member. Further, it is possible to simultaneously widen the grommet screws and cover the bracket with the cover by one operation.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the securing structure of vehicle auxiliary equipment of the first aspect, a central annular portion of each of the grommet screws is formed such as to swell outward, and an inner peripheral surface of each of the harness-side connection ends is formed with an annular recess into which the central annular portion of the grommet screw is fitted.
According to this structure, the bracket is finally secured to the panel in such a manner that the diameters of the grommet screws and the harness-side connection ends are widened, and the central annular portions of the grommet screws are fitted into the annular recesses of the harness-side connection ends.